An Anatomy of Chinese Offensive Words

This book offers a precise and rigorous analysis of the meanings of offensive words in Chinese. Adopting a semantic and cultural approach, the authors demonstrate how offensive words can and should be systematically researched, documented and accounted for as a valid aspect of any language. The book will be of interest to academics, practitioners and students of sociolinguistics, language and culture, linguistic taboo, Chinese studies and Chinese linguistics. Adrian Tien was Associate Professor in Chinese Studies (Linguistics) at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. His co-authors, also at Trinity, are Lorna Carson, Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics and Director of the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies, and Ning Jiang, Assistant Professor in Chinese Studies.